1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to interactive data processing systems, and more particularly to a hypertext control method and apparatus for manipulation of help information displayed in an interactive data processing system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Computers often include on-line interactive learning functions to facilitate ease of learning for users of one or many computer programs or applications. Many computer systems have adopted a hypertext network or a help/dialog approach which gives the user display screens of help/dialog information for specific applications selected by the user. The hypertext network is a non-sequential approach for on-line presentation of help information or text to describe a selected term or concept. A choice of several options of information or text associated with particular hypertext reference phrases is provided to the user. Typically the user controls the particular hypertext screen to be displayed by selecting a hypertext reference phrase from a current hypertext screen. Then the next hypertext screen displays text associated with the selected hypertext reference phrase and additional reference phrases from which a next selection can be made. The hypertext screens are connected by directed links.
A difficulty for the user with the conventional hypertext arrangement is that hypertext reference phrases are displayed as options when the target hypertext screens have not been installed on the system. As a result the user is allowed to select useless links to empty or nonexistent target modules.
Also the conventional hypertext arrangement does not provide an effective way to display different hypertext information or different target modules based upon class or authority of the user. A programmer may need to see more detailed information than a system operator or other user; however, in the conventional hypertext arrangement the same help information associated with particular hypertext reference phrases is displayed for all users.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,964,077 discloses a technique for automatically adjusting help information displayed in an on-line interactive data entry data processing system. The disclosed system tracks the number of times a user has invoked a help/dialog function, compares that number with a threshold value and then displays less help/dialog information to the user. The disclosed system builds a data base of help/dialogs which are uniquely addressed by the functional area and skill level of the individual user as tracked by the number of times the user has been through the help/dialog for a particular functional area. While the disclosed technique provides improvements, the above-described disadvantages of the conventional hypertext arrangement remain.